The Importance of Design in Porto's Ancient Buildings Interventions. Characterization of the Pathological Context through a Constructive Model

Abstract

This article stems from an ongoing research that aims primarily at designing a methodology for intervention in old buildings (in particular, in the bourgeois houses of Porto), targeted for the rehabilitation of traditional construction systems and based on "best practice" procedures in heritage conservation.

A brief essay describing the usefulness of drawing in defining a constructive model that characterizes the existing buildings is presented, in particular in the context of its most frequent pathologies, emphasizing its importance in conceiving a methodology for intervention.

The ongoing research that the authors has been developed on traditional construction in northern Portugal has contributed to the definition of this model, namely through studies on the ordinary housing in the city of Porto, also called bourgeois houses, and the recent research into the collection of CRUARB, the municipal office responsible between 1974 and 2002 for the urban heritage conservation of the Historical Centre.

The investigation in progress has been confirmed the belief that the drawing is essential for the establishment of a methodology for intervention in old buildings, supporting the entire process, from the survey analysis of the existing built environment, through the stages of conception and construction, to the maintenance of buildings during their lifetime. The universal language of drawing also adds to the ability of bringing together the interests of the various disciplines involved in the actions of heritage conservation.